AU737431B2

AU737431B2 - Non tippable pop-up caution sign

Info

Publication number: AU737431B2
Application number: AU22335/00A
Authority: AU
Inventors: Ronald Stuart Glendenning; Ronald Scot Young
Original assignee: Scot Young Research Ltd
Current assignee: Scot Young Research Ltd
Priority date: 1999-09-21
Filing date: 2000-03-16
Publication date: 2001-08-16
Anticipated expiration: 2020-03-16
Also published as: GB9922189D0; US6338213B1; AU2233500A; CA2300472A1; GB2354625A

Description

AUSTRALIA

PATENTS ACT 1990 COMPLETE SPECIFICATION FOR A STANDARD PATENT

ORIGINAL

Name of Applicant: Scot Young Research Limited Actual Inventors: Ronald Stuart Glendenning and Ronald Scot Young

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Address for Service: BALDWIN SHELSTON WATERS ,ST MARGARET STREET SYDNEY NSW 2000 04 z Invention Title: "A -WARNING SIGN" The following statement is a full description of this invention, including the best method of performing it known to me/us:- File: 27369AUP00 -1- NON TIPPABLE POP-UP CAUTION SIGN This invention relates to a warning sign particularly but not exclusively for use on wet floors in public places.

According to a first aspect of the invention there is provided a pop-up warning sign comprising: a) spaced leg parts having ground contacting foot portions at their in use lower ends and having in use upper ends connected to each other by a pivot connection so that said leg parts swing apart to form a self-supporting inverted v-shape when erected; b) a pull-up third sign part situated between said first and second leg parts °oO° and retractable to a stowage position substantially enclosed between the first and second leg parts with said first leg part and second leg part laying fiat thereagainst and extendable to a raised display position extending through said pivot connection and substantially extending above said first and second leg parts in use upper ends to provide 15 a visually enhanced cautionary display; and c) locking elements extending between said first and second leg parts and said third sign part to selectively secure said third sign part in said raised display position and releasable to permit said third sign part to be lowered to said stowage position.

Unless the context clearly requires otherwise, throughout the description and the claims, the words 'comprise', 'comprising', and the like are to be construed in an inclusive sense as opposed to an exclusive or exhaustive sense; that is to say, in the sense of "including, but not limited to".

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a warning sign scomprising two leg parts having ground contacting foot portions at their lower ends and ,b 25 connected at their upper ends pivotably so that said leg parts can be moved between a -2first stowage position in which said two leg parts are parallel and a second in use position which is a self supporting inverted v-shape; a third sign part which is adjustable so that when said third sign part is in a stowage position, it is located substantially between recesses in said leg parts when said leg parts are in stowage position and raised above said leg parts when said sign part is in display position to provide a visually enhanced cautionary display; with said sign part held into said display position by a locking element passing through recessed portions located along the margins of said part; said locking element being integrally formed on an inside of said leg parts so that •only when the recessed margins of said sign part become properly aligned with said locking mechanisms by being fully raised to the display position or fully lowered to the ••stowage position for said sign part will said leg parts lock into said self-supporting inverted v-shape position.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS A preferred embodiment of the invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of a warning sign according to the first aspect of the invention, in an operative position, Figure 2 is a fragmentary perspective view showing a hinge between first and second parts of the warning sign shown in Figure 1, Figure 3 is a fragmentary perspective view showing the upper part of the first and second parts of the warning sign in a storage position, Figure 4 is a vertical section taken between the first and second parts of the warning sign but including also a third part which can be raised or lowered relative to the first and second parts, and

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Figure 5 is a section taken along line V V of Figure 4.

Detailed Description of a Preferred Embodiment Referring to the drawings, there is shown therein a warning sign which, for example, can be used to caution the general public in a public place that a potential hazard exists in the vicinity of the sign, such as a wet floor or maintenance work in a restaurant, hospital, train station and such like. The warning sign comprises first and second parts 10 and 11 pivotably connected together by hinges 12 at the in use upper ends of the two parts 10 and 11 for movement between a first storage position in which the two parts lie parallel in a side-by-side relationship (see Figure 3) and a second operative position in which the two parts are at an angle to one another (see Figure Each part 10, 11 has feet 13 at its in use lower end so that when the parts 10 and 11 are in the second operative position, the feet will support the sign in an upright position as shown in Figure 1.

Each part 10 and 11 has a recess 14, for receiving a caution sign, and a hand hole As best seen in Figure 3, each part 10, 11 has a projection 16 at the upper end of its inner face above the hinges 12 that securely releasably engages an aperture or recess 17 in the other part 11, 10 when the two parts 10 and 11 are in the second operative position. The projections 16 are a snap or friction fit in corresponding apertures or recesses 17 to allow the two parts to retain the second operative position, 4 thereby reducing a tendency for the sign to collapse and/or fall over when impacted.

As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the sign also comprises a third "pop-up" part 18. This third part 18 comprises a head portion 19 having the caution sign on each of its two major faces and a stem portion 20 which, when the first and second parts and 11 are in the first storage position, is slidable therebetween allowing the third part 18 to be adjusted between a lowered position in which the head portion 19 is just above the upper ends of the first and second parts 10 and 11, and a second raised o position.

00 ee The stem portion 20 has two pairs of recesses 21. The recesses of each pair are horizontally aligned when the sign is in an upright position and the two pairs o of recesses 21 are spaced vertically from one another. When the warning sign is in the second operative position, these recesses 21 receive projections 22 formed on each oe of the first and second parts 10 and 11. This allows the third part 18 to be securely supported in the raised (or lowered) position. The third part 18 can only be released from its raised (or lowered) position relative to the first and second parts 10 and 11 by moving the first and second parts from the second operative position, thus releasing the projections 22 from the recesses 21.

Typically, all parts are formed of plastics material with the third part 18 preferably being resiliently flexible in a direction parallel to the ground on which the warning sign is erected. Due to this flexibility and the secure support of the third part 18 at the recesses 21 when in the operative position, stability of the warning sign is increased due to the realisation of a "pendulum" effect that allows reversal of momentum on impact of the third part 18, i.e. when a person accidentally knocks the caution sign with a shoulder bag, for example, thus resulting in little or no relative movement of the warning sign subsequent to impact.

Although the invention has been described with reference to specific examples it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that the invention may be embodied in many other forms.

*i 369AUP00.DOC

Claims

1. A pop-up warning sign comprising: a) spaced leg parts having ground contacting foot portions at their in use lower ends and having in use upper ends connected to each other by a pivot connection so that said leg parts swing apart to form a self-supporting inverted v-shape when erected; b) a pull-up third sign part situated between said first and second leg parts and retractable to a stowage position substantially enclosed between the first and second leg parts with said first leg part and second leg part laying flat thereagainst and 10 extendable to a raised display position extending through said pivot connection and substantially extending above said first and second leg parts in use upper ends to provide a visually enhanced cautionary display; and c) locking elements extending between said first and second leg parts and said third sign part to selectively secure said third sign part in said raised display position S 15 and releasable to permit said third sign part to be lowered to said stowage position.

2. A pop-up warning sign as claimed in Claim 1, where said third sign part is raised 0: from said stowage position and locked into said raised display position by aligning recessed portions along the margins of the sign part with the locking element extending between first and second leg parts.

3. A pop-up warning sign as claimed in Claim 1 or 2, where said third sign part is shaped and designed with various cautionary displays.

4. A pop-up warning sign as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, where said third sign part contains multiple recessed portions to allow sign to be raised to multiple heights and to permit sign part to be locked in multiple positions by the locking element. -7- A warning sign comprising two leg parts having ground contacting foot portions at their lower ends and connected at their upper ends pivotably so that said leg parts can be moved between a first stowage position in which said two leg parts are parallel and a second in use position which is a self supporting inverted v-shape; a third sign part which is adjustable so that when said third sign part is in a stowage position, it is located substantially between recesses in said leg parts when said leg parts are in stowage position and raised above said leg parts when said sign part is in display position to provide a visually enhanced cautionary display; with said sign part held into said display •position by a locking element passing through recessed portions located along the 10 margins of said part; said locking element being integrally formed on an inside of said S leg parts so that only when the recessed margins of said sign part become properly aligned with said locking mechanisms by being fully raised to the display position or fully lowered to the stowage position for said sign part will said leg parts lock into said r: :self-supporting inverted v-shape position. 15 6. A warning sign substantially as hereinbefore described with reference to the accompanying drawings S. S DATED this 26' Day of June, 2001 SCOT YOUNG RESEARCH LIMITED Attorney: STUART M. SMITH Fellow Institute of Patent Attorneys of Australia of BALDWIN SHELSTON WATERS